Its About Who You Are Not WHO You Are

When they were young they were taught to keep themselves safe. They were taught that they had the right to say no to an authority figure. It made sense. We wanted to protect them from child predators and the best way to do that was to ensure that as children they didn't blindly follow authority. They were taught to question it. They were taught respect was earned.

This is the key to truly being successful with the new workforce. It doesn't matter if you are in the mailroom or the boardroom, your authority will not be respected because of your title. This generation is managed in the context of relationship not the org chart. Its about who you are not WHO you are.

In practice this can be a challenge to accepted management practices. It means stepping outside the box that views employee socialization as counterproductive to efficiency. Opportunities for connection aren't team building in the old terms of corporate retreats and company picnics. They are instead daily opportunities for human connection. Its about building relationships. It can be as simple as encouraging the water cooler conversations that have been discouraged for so long. However, some companies have gone further. They have embraced the playfulness of their employees as a benefit by hosting weekly video game tournaments, providing onsite basketball courts and giving managers the opportunity to take their teams to the opening of blockbuster films. The resources available to support employee relationship building vary based on the company. What is universal is a committment to allowing employees to build genuine relationships with on another and with the management team.

Sure, there will be those who take advantage. There will be days when, just as their parents did, you wonder if you haven't allowed it all to go to the dogs. There will be times when you question whether you are crossing a line. Their parents struggled with how to be a parent and not a friend; and you'll struggle with how to be a manager and not a buddy. However, you'll gain their respect and that's what is necessary to create a productive workforce in the era of millennial employees.